Buffalo Bandits head coach John Tavares had a simple message for his group during the bye week following back-to-back losses.
“Just get back to basics,” Tavares said.
The Bandits were held to nine goals in each of their last two games and are 0-3 when scoring fewer than 10 this season. They’re looking to avoid dropping three consecutive games for the first time since February 2024 when they face off with the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday at 9 p.m. EST at Ball Arena.
Tavares said the scoring chances are still prevalent and noted a difference in luck could’ve changed the Bandits current 3-3 record – as evident in the waning minutes of Buffalo’s fourth-quarter comeback against Ottawa, when a last-second shot from Dhane Smith went wide.
Tavares said “scoring is an art” following that one-goal loss to the Black Bears. Only two players had a multi-goal game against Ottawa, and Tavares said a more assertive playing style would help address the offensive inconsistencies.
“It’s about guys interjecting themselves somehow, whatever they’re good at,” Tavares said. “Whether they’re choosing their side, speed, quickness, deception, or whatever it might be to create scoring chances, guys need to do that. We can’t just have two or three guys being a threat to the net. All the guys on the floor need to be a threat to the net. That’s more of my message to the secondary guys, we’re not just here like to take up space. You’re here to put the ball in the net or help get that ball into the net. I want everybody to be a threat.
“I don’t want just one guy to set picks the whole game and not think about the ball. I want everybody to set picks and think about getting the ball. It’s just a matter of guys not being afraid to step on anybody’s toes. With a couple of spots open on our lineup, it just kind of feels like guys are trying to feel each other out, not sure when they shouldn’t go to the net or try to go to the net or take a risk. I don’t want guys to be afraid of making (a) mistake out there, so you have to take some risk when you play on offense.”
Josh Byrne has historically played well against Colorado with 20 goals and 30 assists in six career regular season games. This included a career-high seven-goal performance in 2020 and a 10-point game last season.
Byrne, however, had a pair of points against Ottawa and has just one goal in each of his last two games. It’s the first time he’s been held to two or fewer goals in back-to-back regular season games since January of 2023. He still has 20 shots in the last two games, and Tavares said it’s been an unlucky stretch for a potent goal scorer who has 35 points in six games this season.
“Josh is getting opportunities to score, that’s the positive,” Tavares said. “If he wasn’t getting opportunities to score, or if he wasn’t getting those shots, then it would be a problem. But when I look back at the game film, some of them are hitting the post, hitting the goalie’s butt end, hitting the goalie off the heel and instead of going in, it’s just going wide. He’s just not catching the breaks right now… the ball will drop eventually. I’m not worried about Josh. He’s a natural goal scorer both from the outside and inside.”
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Matt Spanger, Zack Belter return to the roster
The Bandits announced on Tuesday that defensemen Matt Spanger and Zack Belter were activated from injured reserve to the active roster. Forward Mike Triolo and transition player Ron John were released from the active roster.
Belter missed the first three games of the season with an injury and was activated on Jan. 3 to play against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. But he was injured again in a fourth-quarter scrum and didn’t return to that game.
“It’s good to have both of them back in the lineup,” Tavares said. “Spanger has missed a good year now. Belter has missed a couple weeks, and as much as they’re a welcome back, our defense has been pretty good. They definitely bring size to our back unit and some familiarity, which helps with the cohesiveness of the unit. I’m glad to have both of them back, looking forward to seeing Spanger back in action. He’s worked hard to get back to 100 percent.”
Spanger last played an NLL game back on Feb. 15, 2025, so it will be 350 days between games played when he suits up for the Bandits on Saturday. He’s remained with the team during his rehab process, and Tavares said he’s “looked good” during practice in the recent weeks to ramp up ahead of his season debut.
“Obviously feel awful for the guy, he’s missed a long period of time,” Tavares said. “… I can’t help but think about all the heartache that he’s gone through. For me personally, I would hate to miss one game, let alone a season’s worth of games. He’s worked his way back, and at his age, he’s got a young family, he could have easily just said, ‘I’m done, I’m not playing anymore.’ To go through this rehabilitation, the time and energy it takes, kudos to him he went through all that, and he’s eager to play again.”
Scouting the Mammoth
It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Mammoth, as they started 1-2 following a 12-3 loss to the Georgia Swarm on Dec. 27. The next day, they acquired the highly talented forward Jack Hannah from the Las Vegas Desert Dogs and have won all four games since adding him to the lineup.
Colorado has outscored opponents 51-35 during its four-game win streak, and Hannah has 22 points since joining the team. He has at least five points in three of those four games and has brought a new element to the team.
“He’s very athletic and has the ability to create his own shot,” Tavares said. “He gets to the net, has a good outside shot, has good size, definitely not a pushover. He’s a physical player, and he’s helped that Colorado team immensely.”
The Mammoth are paced by Will Malcolm, who is tied for seventh in the NLL with 41 points and fifth with 18 goals. Colorado also boasts defenseman Robert Hope, who leads the NLL in blocked shots (16), and Owen Down, who’s ninth in the league with 11 created turnovers.
Goaltender Dillon Ward is second in the NLL in save percentage (83 percent) and third in goals against (8.89) and saves (291).
“There’s a lot of great goalies in the league, and we’re just going to have to find ways to score,” Tavares said. “Dillon’s one of the best goalies in the league. He’s big, tall, likes to come out and cut down the angle. We definitely need to know where to shoot on him and try to get him moving his feet as much as possible. When he gets to remain stationary, he’s at his best. We’ve got to get him losing his post by swinging the ball as much as we can.”